Women Bishops: Worshippers Asked To Wear Aprons To Church For 'Pinny Protest'

Most worshippers put on their Sunday best for church, but women across the country have been asked to wear their apron to church on this week, to protest gender stereotypes reawakened after the vote against women bishops.

The "pinny protest" movement was set up over the weekend by church secretary from Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, who volunteers for the Bromyard Deanery.

Christine Walters described herself as being "very upset by the vote especially as the vast majority of members in all houses of the Synod (Bishops Clergy and Lay) support the idea."

The motion at the General Synod last month to approve women bishops was supported by the required two-thirds majority in the House of Bishops and House of Clergy, and in the House of Laity it was supported but not by the required majority.

It is a very British-style protest, which Mrs Walters described as making " a very serious point, simple without having to be noisy!"

"The idea is that women wear an apron or pinafore on top of their clothes as a mockery of the idea that they are fit only for tea making," she said, launching the campaign the week.

"We all know that women contribute so much to the church and especially our women priests who need our support at the moment.

"We are asking men to wear a purple ribbon.

“I hope as many people as possible will take part in this gentle but serious demonstration on Sunday the 9th December.

"Let's get the message to the current Bishops and the tiny minority of those opposed, that the time has come for women to be consecrated as Bishops and the sooner the better.”